Human Trafficking

What is HumanTrafficking?

Human Trafficking is considered to be one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises known today. After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms trade as the second largest criminal industry in the world.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of commercial sex, debt bondage, or forced labor.

Human Trafficking is a business with a very high profit margin. Men, women and children are exploited over and over again, to the financial gain of their trafficker.

The most common misconception is that human trafficking is a foreign problem; However, victims can be U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, documented and un-documented immigrants. Trafficking is happening right here in the United States.

Cases of Human Trafficking have been found in all 50 states, Washington D.C and some U.S. territories.

Florida is considered to be one of the top 3 states for Human Trafficking in the U.S.

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“Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”

Sex trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.

Labor Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

Although there is no way of knowing the exact number of trafficking victims, here are some staggering estimates:

It is estimated that 21 million people worldwide are in forced labor, debt-bonded labor, and forced prostitution.

It is estimated that there are 100,000 to 300,000 youth in the sex trade in the United States each year.

Women and children account for approximately 80% of trafficked persons.

Most common age of entry into the commercial sex industry in the U.S. is 12-14 years old.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is the sexual activity involving a child in exchange for something of value, or promise thereof, to the child or another person or persons.

Sadly, many of our vulnerable youth are targeted and ultimately lured into sexually exploited activity such as prostitution, pornography, exotic dancing, and stripping.

The Florida Safe Harbor Act went into effect January 1, 2013. It helps ensure the safety of child victims who have been trafficked for sex and allows children who are rescued from prostitution to get help from child welfare professionals instead of being placed in juvenile delinquency.

These children are VICTIMS, and should be treated as such, and not as criminals.